


Sweet Things

by AlexStone



Series: Tolkientober [17]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Fellowship of the Ring, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Tolkientober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexStone/pseuds/AlexStone
Summary: Pippin and Merry try to hook Sam and Frodo up, but they might be a bit too late.
Relationships: Frodo Baggins & Merry Brandybuck & Sam Gamgee & Pippin Took, Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee
Series: Tolkientober [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948141
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	Sweet Things

**Author's Note:**

> Tolkientober Day 26 - 'Best Friends.'
> 
> A short fic that explores Pippin's friendship with Merry and Frodo. I love the idea of Pippin and Frodo being best friends from childhood, because of their different temperaments. 
> 
> Def. 'Flyting' is a Scots term for a verse insult contest, which I head-canon as a Hobbit tradition.

Strider guided the Hobbits from Bree into the long forests and fields east of the Shire. The days were long, as woods gave way to moorland, which gave way to forest once more. Strider pointed new birds to the hobbits, and each delighted at all the possible newness of the world.

Merry crouched on the bank of a small river. The slow current and abundant foliage made this a perfect location for otters, and Merry knew he was close to spotting one. The long grass twitched, and Merry felt his heart race against his chest. He was rudely interrupted by his cousin, who leapfrogged over Merry and landed heavily in the water.

After the shock subsided, Merry hoisted Pippin from the mud and asked what he wanted.

“Merry, tonights the night,” Pippin explained, a devilish look in his eye, “we are going to get them together.” 

Merry paused, before realising that Pippin was talking about Sam and Frodo. He was suspicious about their behaviour, their frequent walks after dinner, but he hadn’t been able to confirm anything. Whenever he had raised the question, Frodo handily diverted the topic of conversation. Merry realised with a start he hadn’t been paying attention to Pippin, who appeared to be detailing some kind of intricate plan.

“… and then I am going to say ‘oh no, won’t someone help me!’ and you’ll go get Frodo, and he’ll run to the rescue, and then we leave them alone in the clearing we’ve prepared, and it’ll be such a perfect moment they will fall head over heels for each other.”

Merry considered asking Pippin to repeat the plan, before thinking better of it. “There might be an easier way to do this,” he suggested tentatively. 

“Oh Merry, sweet wonderful idiot Merry,” Pippin grinned at his cousin, “you worry too much. You just need to trust me.”

Later that evening Sam exited his tent into the evening light. He absentmindedly buttoned his shirt and tried to tidy his hair. He hadn’t made it three steps from his tent before he stopped and turned to see Pippin draped against the nearby oak tree. 

“Oh, hello Sam,” Pippin drawled, “fancy running into you here.”

“Um. Hi Pip,” Sam frowned, his eyes darting backwards to his tent, “can I help you?”

“Sam, you’re so funny,” Pippin giggled, tossing his hair with one hand.

Sam frowned and looked beyond Pippin. “Why is Merry hiding in that bush?” he asked.

“I don’t see Merry,” Pippin crossed to Sam, bumping his hips with each step.

“He’s.. he’s right there,” Sam pointed, awkwardly stepping around Pippin, “are you drunk?”

A sound of movement came from Sam’s tent before Pippin could respond. Pippin immediately straightened, danger flashing across his eyes. Sam turned a bright shade of crimson. His eyes flicked from Pippin, to the tent, and back to Pippin. 

“N-nothing in there, Master Pip, probably just some mice, lots of mice at this time of year, my gaffer had the worst trouble with them,” Sam babbled, sweat beginning to bead at his temples. 

Pippin pursed his lips tight, before turning and storming towards the tent. His hand was poised at the entrance when two hands emerged from the tent in surrender. A bare-chested Frodo gingerly exited the tent with a sheepish expression on his face. Pippin’s audible gasp was drowned out by Merry, who leapt from his hiding place.

“I knew it!” Merry yelled, running to Pippin’s side.

Pippin quivered with rage and pointed at Frodo. “How long?” he growled.

“Pip, we’ve been having sex for months,” Frodo said, which made Sam look as if he might explode from embarrassment, “I thought you knew?”

“Evidently not!” Pippin exploded, before rounding on his cousin, “wait, you knew about this?”

Merry shrugged. He had tried to explain his suspicions to his cousin, but Pippin had interrupted him each time. It was easier to allow Pippin to discover things in his own time, and with his own mistakes. Bickering ensued between the cousins, until Frodo intervened and explained that he and Sam had been discreetly involved to avoid this very situation. This didn’t help at all, as Pippin immediately rounded on Frodo for keeping the affair a secret.

It was hard to argue that Pippin was being unreasonable. Frodo and Pippin barely kept a word from each other, since they had been children playing dress up in Brandy Hall. When Pippin fell into bad moods with Merry, Frodo would listen to Pippin and smooth over the cracks. Frodo was always in the front row of Pippin’s flytings, Pippin helped Frodo raid Bilbo’s wine cellar, and both had spent countless evenings watching the sun set over the rolling hills of Tookland. No friendship is ever as perfect as it is remembered, but even the smallest insecurity can feel as towering and monstrous as the most solid friendship.

“I’m not raising my voice,” Pippin said, raising his voice, “I just want to know why you didn’t tell me?” 

Frodo sighed deeply, and took Pippin’s hand in his own. “Pip, you’re my best friend,” he turned to Sam, who by this point had fully dressed and was attending the ponies the field with Strider, “I like Sam. I like him quite a bit. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I don’t know why.”

Pippin rolled his eyes and scooped Frodo into an enormous hug. “Frodo Baggins, you lovable fool. Of course I like Sam. Although, if he breaks your heart, you tell me. I’ll get Strider to… you know…” as he leaned back and mimed a finger across his throat.

So friendship was, so it continued. Days passed to nights, which passed to days once more, and the hobbits continued their journey east. To them, the world was as easy as a fresh book. At times Merry would catch a look between Sam and Frodo, even the smallest of glances that hinted at a blossoming love. In those moments Merry knew the future could only hold the sweetest of things.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on twitter at @AlexStoneWriter! Comments are greatly appreciated.
> 
> You can find the full list of Tolkientober prompts here: https://twitter.com/hobbitgay/status/1311350783238045696


End file.
